Corsair AF and SP Series Fan Review

Introduction:

Corsair isn't a name unfamiliar to most computer enthusiasts. From cases, to power supplies, to cooling products and more, Corsair has a reputation of making high quality products that won't break the bank. Today I'm looking at a slew of products from Corsair's Air Series of cooling fans.

The Airflow model fans are oriented toward high air flow (hence the AF name) in situations without a whole lot of air resistance. This means they will be ideal for use as case fans but they probably aren't something you would want to stick on a heat sink or water cooling radiator. The other model line of fans I'll be taking a look at today is the Static Pressure line. These fans are designed to move air through situations where this is a lot of resistance to flow, AKA static pressure (which brings us to the SP moniker). This makes them ideal for use with heat sinks and radiators where the cooling fins are densely packed together. Both fan lines have quiet and performance variations to tailor to your specific tastes and needs.

Now that you know a little more about the fans; let's see if they can continue the Corsair reputation!

Closer Look:

When a rather large box showed up on my doorstep I was not expecting it to be filled with fans. After opening the box I realized that Corsair had sent a pair of every fan in the Corsair Air Series. That leaves me with a pair of each of the following fans: AF120 Quiet, AF120 Performance, AF140 Quiet, SP120 Quiet, and the SP120 High Performance. Each of the 120mm fans were delivered in a twin pack while the AF140 fans showed up in individual packaging. The boxes themselves clearly denote the model number along with the basic fan specifications at the bottom left of the front of each box. A large window makes it extremely easy to get a good look at each of the fans before you buy them should you be shopping in your local Fry's or Microcenter. Now that I've had my fun stacking all the boxes in interesting ways… let's move on to the individual boxes for a better look!

All of the boxes for the various fan models are fairly similar. Each has a very large window on the front that clearly shows off what you're buying. Each one lists the basic information (fan size, fan speed, and noise rating) in the lower right corner of the front of the box. The bottom left of the front of the box boasts about one of the more unique features of the Corsair Air Series fans: interchangeable colored trim rings. Now, if you're like me, that's something you've been wanting for a long time. I can't count the number of fans I've found that I wanted to use in a build but the colors just wouldn't work with the theme I was going for. With the interchangeable colored rings (in red, white, and blue) you can match these fans to nearly any build quite easily.

Spinning the boxes around reveals a paragraph (in six languanges) about the features and a table of specifications for each fan. The boxes are all fairly similar on the sides as well with the model number and basic specs listed. The AF140 boxes differ here though – since they are not twin-packs they have a list describing the features of the fans: the interchangeable rings and the built-in vibration and sound dampers. These features are also included on the AF120 and SP120 boxes, but since they are twin-packs, the boxes open up to reveal the second fan and the feature list is printed near the bottom of the interior.

I don't know about you, but I’m ready to get these fans out and get to testing. Keep reading to see the fans finally excavated from their boxes!